- Matthias Recke –
divinities, Turfa 2006, 104. The contemporaneous growth in the popularity of anatomical
votives led Pensabene 2001, 111 to link it to the spread of the Asklepios cult in central Italy.
25 Gravisca: Comella 1981; Lavinium: Castagnoli 1975.
26 Tarquinia, Ara della Regina (1000+), Veii, Contrada Campetti (3000), Veii, Pendici di Piazza
d’Armi (3000), Fregellae (3000+), Ponte di Nona (8000+, of which 3800 are anatomical
votives), cf. the counts in Turfa 2004.
27 Some in Tarquinia, Ara della Regina (Turfa 2004, 365 Nr. 314).
28 In this sense even the uterus votives could have held a special meaning in the relationship
between god and man, at least for the ones that are hollow inside. (Baggieri 1999, 68 fi g. 68–
69, 69 fi g. 70, 99 fi gs. 21–22. The most signifi cant inclusions of intrauterine “life” (pellets
sealed into the hollow object) are not visible from outside (and can now only be detected by
X-rays). They are a secret known only to the donor and the deity which would exclude all
others from this close connection.
29 Glinister 2006, 27–30.
30 For dedicatory inscriptions preserved on anatomical votives, cf. De Cazanove 2009.
31 On the procedure cf. Turfa 2006, 91.
32 Turfa 2006, 104, as regards the portrayal of internal organs in statues and torsos sees a
reference to the mortality of the person represented, and concludes that they cannot be images
of gods. On analogy to this, identical fi gure types without incisions are also mortals.
33 Turfa 2006, 104, sees the dedication of images of swaddled infants not necessarily as
representing the welfare of the child, but possibly as thanks-offerings on behalf of the mother,
after conception or childbirth.
34 Sambon 1895; Stieda 1901; Alexander 1905; Holländer 1912.
35 Stieda 1901, 72; Recke – Wamser-Krasznai 2008, 101 Fig. 23–24.
36 Stieda 1901, 106.
37 Glinister 2006, 12 proposed an alternative explanation for the dedications of penis models,
that they marked a transition, such as puberty.
38 It is striking that hands are not shown relaxed, but stiffl y held up with fl at palms. Furthermore,
they always have the wrist truncated so that it forms a stand for the hand to be displayed, cf.
Recke, Wamser-Krasznai 2008, 100 Fig. 21–22.
39 Foot votives as the expression of a trip completed safely were already indicated by Stieda
1901, 75.
40 Turfa 2006, 106. These interpretive approaches are heavily focused on the representations
of internal organs and do not allow a comprehensive interpretation of the phenomenon of
anatomical votive models and the visual analysis of the human body. Another problem is the
verifi cation of plausible-sounding aspects for some hypotheses.
41 Baggieri 1999, 96, Fig. 17 (Civita Castellana).
42 Glinister 2006, 11.
43 Krug 1984, 26–27, 61–62. Torsos with representation of internal organs are occasionally
interpreted as teaching models for the appropriate medical operations for the purpose of
developing surgical skills.
44 Summarized by Glinister 2006, 12.
45 Coarelli 1986, pl. 68, 3–4 (from Fregellae); Tabanelli 1962, 39 Nr. 6 (from Nemi).
46 Recke, Wamser-Krasznai 2008, 118 Nr. 24, 120 Nr. 25 (from Veii); Tabanelli 1962, Fig. 7
(from Canino / Tessennano, now in the Louvre).
47 Tabanelli 1962, Fig. 8–9 (Rome), Fig. 10 (Paris, from Palestrina?), Fig. 11 (from Veii).
48 This was only possible after 1904 with the invention of Ferdinand Sauerbruch.
49 Against the idea that in these representations is a dissection of the corpse are the attitude and
gestures of the people depicted, and the function of objects as offerings. Other examples among
the anatomical votives, which could be interpreted as an indication that surgery actually took
place, are gathered by Turfa 2006, 104. Contra, however Glinister 2006, 12–13.